About Morgantown's Year of Active Transport

On March 17 Morgantown City Council passed a resolution proclaiming 2009 as Morgantown's Year of Active Transport. The goal is to have local residents be more physically involved int heir own transportation. People are encouraged to get out of the cars and to walk, bike or use the Mountain Line and PRT.

There are numerous benefits associated with active transport. Fifteen minutes of daily biking or walking represents 5 pound of fat burned in a year. Studies show that people who use mass transit walk 70 minutes more per week on average, compared to people who do not use mass transit. With typical Americans gaining one to 2 pound per year, engaging in active transport can represent the end of the growing obesity crisis in and around Morgantown.

A Year of Active Transport coordinating committee has established the following goals:

- Increase active commuting among WVU students by 15 percent.

- Increase the percentage of Morgantown residents actively commuting to work by 10 percent.

- Incrase the percentage of children actively commuting to school by 10 percent.

The committee hopes to achieve these goals by publicizing active transport events and working with the Morgantown City Council to overcome barriers, such as improving sidewalks and promoting traffic calming. Another strategy is to work with local agencies to make walking, biking, bus and PRT options more available and more visible.

The list for 2009 is filled with exciting activities. If anyone is interested in seeing an event added to our calendar contact me at wreger@hsc.wvu.edu of 293-0763.